Fedor
Emelianenko lost to Antonio
Silva the same night, though, and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
wasted no time in suggesting that Fedor could be the first
replacement fighter if one is needed.

“It’s not that big of a deal for me,” del Rosario said recently
during a “Savage
Dog Show” interview on the Sherdog Radio Network. “I’m glad I
just had an opportunity to fight on the same card as Fedor and some
of these guys. To me that was a great honor. If I don’t make it
into the tournament this year … it’s not a big deal. I would rather
actually have another four fights this year if possible and just
earn my own spot into the tournament next year.”

Del Rosario armbarred Johnson 4:31 into the first round to improve
his record to 11-0. However, the 26-year-old from Irvine, Calif.,
believes he still needs more experience.

“I’m at 11 fights. I’d like to get to at least 15, just get more
ring time,” del Rosario said. “All of my fights have been finished
in the first round, which has been good. I like to get out and win
right away and have an exciting fight, but I kind of lack some
round time, some experience in the cage. Hopefully I can get at
least four fights in this year and then kind of go from there.”

Despite his immediate success in the sport, del Rosario has
maintained a patient approach. He’s willing to fight top
competition, but he also understands the value in climbing the
ladder one rung at a time.

“You definitely have to go into the fight game smart,” he said.
“You’re not just going in and trying to fight all the time just to
fight. Injuries happen. I can’t fight forever. I’m really trying to
be methodical about this and really think about it. That’s why I
was never really into calling out the champ right away or wanting
to fight the top guy right away. I need to pay my dues and get some
experience and really get to the point where I can beat those guys
and stay there and make a run at the belt.”

With that said, if Strikeforce asks del Rosario to enter the
heavyweight tournament, he said he’ll be ready.

“At the same time, if someone gets injured and they want me in, I’m
definitely going to be training hard and coming in to fight,” he
said. “I’ll definitely take the opportunity.”